Finding Aria
by CapeCodPhoenix
Summary: Spencer has found the love of her life in Aria, but when Aria disappears, finding the love of her life takes on a whole new meaning, and new perils she never thought she'd have to face. It can't be a coincidence that Aria goes missing on the anniversary of Alison's disappearance, right?
1. Chapter 1

**I got the idea and ran with it, I'm not sure about it though. Let me know if you think I should continue with this story.**

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_**September 1st**_

_It's been one year since Alison disappeared._ I thought when I woke up. It was sad really, Alison had been one of my best friends. I sincerely hoped she'd come back to us one day.

I felt Aria stir beside me.

I couldn't help but smile, I loved waking up next to her.

"Mmm, Spence?" Aria asked sleepily.

I lightly kissed her forehead.

"Morning, baby," I said.

Aria and I had been together just over six months, and I couldn't be happier.

Aria smiled at me, wrapping her arms around me, "Have I ever told you how much I love waking up to you?"

I pretended to ponder her question, "I _think_ you may have mentioned it."

I smirked at her as she rolled her eyes, "but I never get tired of hearing it."

I leaned in, kissing her gently. I felt her tongue slide across my bottom lip. I parted my lips, letting her tongue slip into my mouth. Our tongues battled for dominance, and after a while, I backed down. She moved on top of me, her hands sliding down my body.

Aria moved down to my neck, sucking on my pulse point, her hands playing with the hem of my shirt.

I moaned.

She moved her hands under my shirt, slowly teasing my skin with her soft touches.

"Aria," I half-growled, half-moaned.

I knew she enjoyed making me beg for her, she did it _all_ the time, but I secretly enjoyed it. Aria was the only one who I would willing give control to, she was the only one who knew exactly what to do and what to say to make me _want_ to give up my control.

"_Please_," I moaned, knowing she wasn't even close to stopping her teasing.

She ran her fingers lightly up and down my stomach, from the hem of my pants to just underneath my breasts.

My own fingers were digging into her back.

She moved back to my lips, capturing them with her own once again, I shoved my tongue desperately into her mouth.

I wanted her. I wanted her bad, and she was going to make me work for it, as always.

Her hands were slowly lifting up my shirt when I heard her phone go off. I knew the ringtone, too. It was her mom.

I groaned. "I swear you mom can sense when we start to fool around."

Aria smiled apologetically at me before answering her phone.

"Hi mom," she said.

I rubbed her back, sliding my hands up her shirt as she talked.

"Oh right, I forgot."

I moved my hands to her front sliding slowly up her stomach. She leaned back onto my shoulder, looking up at me with her eyes, which were daring me to continue.

"I know"

I leaned over her kissing her neck lightly a few times before sucking on her pulse point. I heard her try and _fail_ to stifle a moan.

I smirked, victorious.

My hands caressed her breasts gently.

"I'll be home soon," she said, hanging up the phone.

As soon as the call ended, she pounced on me.

"You're gonna pay for that Hastings," she said playfully.

I laughed, "You love it when I do that, admit it."

She smirked at me, kissing me gently before saying, "I gotta go home."

I groaned, wrapping my arms around her tightly.

"I don't want you to go," I said.

Aria smiled softly at me, "I know, baby," she said, moving a strand of hair behind my ear, "but I have to go."

"Fine," I pouted, releasing my hold on her.

"I'll see you tonight," she said.

"I'll pick you up at six," I said, "Now, go, you're gonna make Mike late."

She may have forgotten, but I knew Mike had his first round of a lacrosse tournament today, and Aria had promised she'd be there.

Aria smiled at me lovingly, gathering her belongings. She kissed me quickly and then she was gone.

_**Two hours later**_

I was sketching renovation plans for the barn. My parents hadn't agreed to let me turn it into a loft yet, but I was still hopeful.

I heard my phone ring and I answered it absentmindedly.

"Hello?"

"Spencer? It's Aria's mom."

I sat up.

"Hi, Mrs. Montgomery," I said nervously. I had no idea why she would be calling me.

"Is Aria still with you?" she asked.

"No," I said, "She left a few minutes after you called this morning."

"Oh," Mrs. Montgomery said, the worry in her voice painfully apparent.

"She never made it home," Mrs. Montgomery said, panic in her voice.

I froze as I realized what she meant. Aria wouldn't have blown them off. Something must have happened.

And Aria was missing.


	2. Chapter 2

My phone dropped from my hand, as I ran out of my room, leaving my sketches as they floated to the ground in a scattered mess. I didn't even realize that I had left Mrs. Montgomery hanging on the other end of the line, but I doubt I would have even cared if I had.

All that mattered was finding her, holding her in my arms, making sure she was safe.

_I should have walked her home_. I thought, kicking myself mentally.

I flew down the stairs, and out of the house in a matter of seconds. I hadn't bothered to change out of my pajamas, which I had still been wearing. I didn't care that I had almost knocked over my sister on the way out.

My eyes were looking everywhere, looking for some sign of Aria. But there was nothing. I quickly made my way in the direction of Aria's house, purposefully taking the path I knew she would take to get home.

I was about halfway to Aria's house when I saw it. Aria's cell phone was lying face down halfway under a bush next to the sidewalk. I picked it up, it was still in a call, which is probably why Aria's mom had called me. The screen told me that the call had come from a blocked number.

I put the phone up next to my ear, "Hello?" I said cautiously.

There was no response on the other end. I knew that whoever had called Aria must have forgotten to hang up their phone because Aria's phone would have ended the call automatically.

"Hello?" I said again, practically yelling into the phone.

I heard some rustling on the other end of the line, but then the call had ended.

"Damn it!" I swore loudly.

I looked at the screen on the phone, which said that the call had lasted for a little over two hours.

If I had been smart, I would've put the phone on mute and brought it to the police, had them trace the call. But no, now I've fucked up.

I could go to the police now, but they'd laugh in my face. I knew the procedure, they couldn't do anything about a missing person unless the person had been missing for at least twenty-four hours.

I looked around the area where I had found Aria's phone. Even to my untrained eye, things looked suspicious. From where her phone had been, it must have been either dropped or thrown. There were slight burn marks on the road right near where I found her phone. I almost missed it, but there was also what looked like a drop of blood on a leaf next to the sidewalk.

I cursed at myself for leaving my phone at home. I used Aria's to take a picture of the leaf and the burn marks, and then I went back to my house.

Mrs. Montgomery must have realized that I wasn't at my phone anymore, as the call had ended when I returned home. I did have a couple missed calls from her, and a couple voice messages, too.

I called Mrs. Montgomery back.

"Spencer? Is that you?" Mrs. Montgomery said when she answered the phone.

"Yeah," I said numbly.

"Did you find Aria?" Mrs. Montgomery asked.

I swallowed. How do you tell your girlfriend's mother that you have no idea where her daughter is, when the last place she was known to be is with you?

"Spencer?" Mrs. Montgomery said again, probably worried that I wasn't there again.

Tears started falling down my cheek, knowing that something terrible had happened.

"Mrs. Montgomery," I cried, "I think she's been…abducted." The horror in my voice was evident as I said the word.

"I f-found her phone and I th-think I saw s-some blood," I stuttered into the phone.

I couldn't believe I was saying these words. I couldn't believe that I was in a situation where I would have to say these words. They brought me back to last year, when I had to tell the girls that I couldn't find Ali, that I thought I heard a scream. This shouldn't be happening to me. This shouldn't be happening to Aria. I couldn't shake the feeling that this was connected to Alison's disappearance.

I heard Mrs. Montgomery talking on the other end of the line, It sounded as if she was sobbing as well.

"Spencer? This is Aria's father," I heard Mr. Montgomery on the other end of the line.

I made an awkward noise acknowledging that I had heard him; it was the best I could do at the time.

"Spencer," Mr. Montgomery's voice cracked. I could tell he was trying to hold himself together. The news of his daughter going missing was obviously affecting him. It was to be expected though. He was trying to be strong for those of us who couldn't.

"Spencer, where did you find Aria's phone?" Mr. Montgomery asked.

I described to him as best I could where Aria's phone had been. I told him about the leaf I had seen with what I thought was a drop of blood on it and where it had been in relation to the phone, and about the burn marks I had seen on the nearby road.

By the time I had finished telling Mr. Montgomery everything I could possibly think of about the place I had found Aria's phone and everything I remembered about the surrounding area, I felt sick.

Aria was the love of my life and I knew it. And she was missing.

I heard my phone buzz almost immediately after I had hung up with the Montgomery's.

I looked at it. My stomach turned when I saw that I had a text from a blocked number.

_You have one week to save her. –A_

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**Let me know what you think, I'm not sure if I'll keep this one yet. **


	3. Chapter 3

One week. Seven days. One hundred and sixty eight hours. Ten thousand and eighty minutes. Six hundred and four thousand, eight hundred seconds. That's all I had. And every millisecond I stood here was being wasted.

I wanted to do something, anything that would help me save Aria, but I had no idea where to start.

_You're Spencer Hastings_. I told myself. _You always know what to do_. And that was true for the most part, but nothing in my life had ever prepared me for this.

I started pacing my room, trying desperately to think of anything that might help me, but to no avail. I thought briefly about calling the police, but I decided against it. Surely, the Montgomery's would inform the police of their missing daughter, but what good were the Rosewood Police? Obviously not very, or Alison would have been found by now.

Plus, if there was someone telling me I had a week to save Aria, they obviously wouldn't want me talking to the police, though I was sure I would have to eventually. Mr. Montgomery would tell the police everything I had told them, and they police would want to talk to me, and they'd want to confiscate Aria's phone as evidence.

I thought of the clues I had found. The blood, which I didn't really know if it was really blood, would only help if it's not corrupted and not Aria's. If it was really blood, it was more likely than not that it had been Aria's, so it would be useless. The burn marks didn't help me either. None of these clues told me anything except that Aria had not gone wherever she is now willingly.

I tried to think of people who might want to hurt Aria. The list wasn't very long. The only people I could think of were Jenna and Toby, but hadn't they both left Rosewood?

It occurred to me that whoever had taken Aria might have nothing against Aria herself, but wanted to hurt me. I tried to think of people who might possibly want to hurt me. There was Jenna and Toby again. There was Melissa, but I didn't want to believe that my sister would want to hurt me _this_ much. Maybe Ian, but I doubted that. Not only had he left Rosewood, but the motive wasn't really there.

It had to be somebody who knew us, I was sure of that. I couldn't figure out why anybody would do this to us, though. Maybe me, sure, I could be a bit bitchy sometimes, but what kind of sick person would do this to my sweet Aria?

I fought back the urge to cry; I didn't have time to cry. I needed to find Aria, but how?

My phone rang and I ran to it, hoping it was Aria. But of course, it wasn't. How could it be when I had her phone?

The incoming caller had a blocked number. Maybe they wanted a ransom. I would pay them whatever they wanted to have Aria back in my arms.

"Hello?" I answered cautiously.

"Spencer? Spencer is that you?" I heard Aria's voice ring through my ears. She sounded scared, more scared than I'd ever heard her before.

"Aria? Aria, baby, are you okay? Where are you?" I asked frantically.

"I don't know, Spence, I can't see anything," Aria cried out to me.

"I'm going to find you, Aria, I'm going to find you and bring you home," I assured her as best I could.

The truth was I hadn't any idea where to find her.

"Spence I'm…" Aria started to say.

I heard her being muffled; it sounded like she was screaming.

"Aria!" I yelled into my phone.

"_Please_!" I begged into the phone. I had no idea who I was begging to, but I was sure they could hear me.

"_Please,_ I'll do _anything_! Don't hurt her!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Is _Spencer Hastings_ begging?" I heard someone say.

The voice was definitely digitally enhanced, but there was something eerily familiar about it. I couldn't place it though.

"Yes," I said frantically, "I'm begging you, I'll do anything you want, _please_, just _don't_ hurt Aria!"

I could practically hear the smile forming at the other end of the phone. Whoever it was obviously knew me, and how much I detest having to beg for something. I worked hard for everything, and sometimes for nothing at all. The thing about begging is it means you're not in control, and I hated not being in control.

_**Two Hours Later**_

It was days like today I was thankful for my family. They haven't always been there when I needed them, in fact, my parents tended to favor my sister, leaving me to fend for myself, but they had successful careers, leaving my sister and I with rather large bank accounts.

I stood in line at the bank, preparing myself to wire whoever had Aria ten thousand dollars, just as they had requested. They had given me an account number to wire it to, which I was pretty sure was under a fake name and would not help me in finding out who they were.

I was happy I was one of the few teens in this town who could come up with that kind of ransom money on their own. I had plenty more than that in my bank account as the things my family and I tended to purchase were by the thousands anyway. The perks of being a Hastings I suppose.

I probably should have consulted my parents before paying this ransom. They were lawyers, they'd know the best approach, but I was too afraid of doing something that might upset whoever it was and cause them to hurt Aria. That was the only thing that mattered. Making sure Aria was safe.

_**Twenty Minutes Later**_

I walked into my house. As usual, nobody was home. My parents had gone back to New York on work, and Melissa had went back to her townhouse in Philly. Sometimes I wondered why she even had the townhouse in Philly. I mean she was here half the time anyway.

It was good that nobody was home though, I didn't need anybody seeing me in this frazzled state. I was too worried about Aria to care much about my outward appearance. Only when I had gone to the bank had I bothered to change out of my pajamas, but even then, I didn't bother with anything remotely sophisticated as I usually did. I wasn't as anal about my appearance as Hanna was now, not that I talked to her much anymore, but I did tend to be particular about what I wore. Another product of being a Hastings I guess.

I started pacing in the kitchen. I was waiting for some confirmation that they had received the money, waiting for them to tell me that they would return Aria unharmed. I just wanted this nightmare to be over. I wanted to wake up holding Aria in my arms, to be able to see her smile and hear her laugh, and look into her beautiful hazel eyes, knowing that everything would be okay as long as I had her.

But she wasn't here. And nothing was okay. And it wouldn't be until I could see her with my own two eyes and hold her in my arms.

It pained me to think if I had just taken the time to walk her home as I had so many times before, that she wouldn't be missing now, our fates tangled up with someone else's who was calling all the shots.

I thought of the voice on the phone. The one I couldn't place, but something told me I had heard that voice a million times before. But who did it belong to. I was sure, if I heard it without the digital enhancements, that I would know exactly who it was. And if I ever found out who it was, they would pay. They had no right to do this to Aria. Aria was sweet and caring, she often found ways to be not just civil, but pleasantly social with those whom she found…distasteful.

My phone buzzed. One new text from blocked number.

_Game Over. –A_

I fell to my knees. My entire body was shaking.

No. It couldn't be. I had done what they had asked me to.

Just then the doorbell rang.

I had a glimmer of hope. Maybe that was Aria. They had gotten the money and had let her go.

I ran to the door, but when I opened it, it wasn't Aria.

"Spencer Hastings?" The man standing in front of me asked.

I nodded. He was obviously a police officer. Probably a detective. Mr. Montgomery had probably talked to them. They would want to talk to me, but I wasn't sure what I would say. Would talking to the police anger whoever had Aria? It was more than likely that it would. They'd also probably want Aria's phone, which was still upstairs in my bedroom. I could get that for them. Not that I'd really have much of a choice.

"Spencer Hastings you're under arrest for the murder of Alison DiLaurentis."

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**So what do you guys think happened? What do you think is going to happen? Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry it's _really_ short. The next chapter will be better.**

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"What?" I said, confused.

"You're under the arrest for the murder of Alison DiLaurentis," the officer repeated to me.

I didn't protest as he cuffed my hands behind my back, still trying to process what the officer had said.

I was under arrest? For Ali's _murder_. That meant…

I gasped, "She's really dead?"

I didn't want to believe it. Sure, we had all seen it coming, she'd been missing for so long, but we had all had a slight sliver of hope, that maybe, just maybe she'd come back some day. But now, this meant that they had found her body. This meant that she was never coming back.

The tears fell down my cheeks, I didn't try to hold them back, there was no one important who could see me. Alison was dead, really dead.

I knew better than to speak without a lawyer present, and I had two of the best lawyers money could buy, who just happened to be my parents. Surely they knew I was innocent, right? But then again, I wouldn't put it past my parents to think that I was guilty.

I couldn't control the heavy flow of tears that began to stream down my face again, as I realized that Aria was likely to meet the same fate as Alison had, and, particularly from behind bars, there was nothing that I could do about it. But I had to do something, I had to save her. I couldn't let anything happen to her. But what could I do? Whoever had taken Aria was probably the same person that had killed Alison. In fact, I had probably been set up. I wondered if they would contact me here. Would they let Aria go now that they had me where I assumed they wanted me? I doubted it.

I would have to tell my parents about what happened to Aria. They would know what to do. They would help me get Aria back. They would believe me, they had to. Everyone knows I'm in love with Aria, she's the best thing that ever happened to me. And if Aria's disappearance is in any way connected to Alison's like I think it is, then everybody will know that I had nothing to do with it.


	6. Chapter 6

_**The next day**_

"Hastings!" I heard the guard bark.

I stood up, not having said a word since I got here other than to call my mother, whom, as far as I could tell, hadn't even shown up yet.

The guard unlocked the cell I had been in, "You're free to go," he said.

I nodded, feeling numb.

The guard escorted me out into the lobby of the precinct, where I saw my parents had finally arrived.

I practically ran into my mother's arms, despite that we weren't very close, I was so happy that she had actually come for me, I hadn't been sure that she would.

We walked to the car in silence, other than the small sobs that escaped me. Once in the car, though, the silence ended as soon as the doors were shut.

I had prepared myself for this, we had all known, talking in the police station was to be avoided wherever possible, so I knew that as soon as we were in the car, the questions would come.

"It wasn't her," my mother said, "The body wasn't Alison's."

I hadn't been prepared for _that_.

My mind raced, trying to think, if it wasn't Alison, then who was it? And why was I arrested in the first place? And where _was_ Ali? Did that mean that she was still alive? No, it means that I was set up. But if it wasn't Ali, then how come they arrested me for her murder? Nothing was making sense.

I wondered if this was part of the mystery I would obviously have to unravel in order to save Aria. I only had a little over five days left, if that text had been true.

"Do you know…?" I asked quietly.

My mother looked down; she looked torn, which was unusual because she rarely displayed emotion.

When my mother finally spoke, it was somber.

"Apparently, the DiLaurentis family was larger than they let on," my mother said carefully, "they think it's Alison's twin sister."


	7. Chapter 7

Alison's twin sister? Alison didn't have a twin sister. Alison had been one of my best friends, I'd been to her house countless times, I think I'd have noticed if she'd had a sister.

"What?" I said, clearly not understanding what was going on, which, for me, wasn't a common thing.

My head was spinning so badly that I couldn't comprehend what my mother was telling me. I only heard bits and pieces of her explanation, but it was enough. Courtney DiLaurentis. Stabbed. Institution. Moved. Rosewood. Alison.

I put my hand up, signaling for my mom to stop talking. And after composing myself slightly, I asked, "Why did _I_ get arrested?"

"The police got an anonymous tip, saying that you were paying them to keep quiet about Alison's death, they tracked your bank account to find that you had just wired ten thousand dollars to somebody."

I think my mom was still talking when I jumped out of the car, but I didn't care. Now, I knew exactly where I needed to go.

Jumping out of the car didn't really make much sense, we were headed in the same direction as where I needed to go, but I didn't care, I couldn't depend on other people driving, I had to get to her, before something happened.

I heard my newly returned cell-phone buzz in my pocket, I took it out, never breaking stride, the new message driving me to go faster.

_New plan: You have sixty seconds before I start draining her blood –A_

Shit. There was no way I would make it in one minute. I should've stayed in the car. But no time to dwell on it now, I propelled my legs, urging them to go as fast as they possibly could. I had to save her.

I ran past my house into the DiLaurentis' yard, up the steps and started banging on their front door.

"Where is she!?" I yelled, pushing past Jason as he opened the door.

"Who?" Jason asked looking very confused.

"Aria!" I screamed at him desperately.

"Uh, Aria's not here…" Jason said, still utterly confused.

"Then Alison or Courtney, whichever one is still _alive_." I pleaded.

"H-How?" Jason stuttered. Apparently it was true. Alison had a twin named Courtney. And they had kept her a secret.

Losing patience, I yelled, "ONE OF THEM JUST TRIED TO FRAME ME FOR THE MURDER OF THE OTHER ONE!"

Jason stood there, stunned.

"Jason!" I sobbed angrily, "Where _is_ she!? I'm running out of time!"

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"Sh-she's gonna kill Aria!"

That got Jason moving. I'd always known Jason had had a thing for Aria.

Jason opened the door to the basement, which was proceeded by another door with a number of locks on it. The second Jason had undone all the locks, I pushed the door open and sprinted downstairs.

The DiLaurentis' had apparently sound-proofed their basement, because as soon as the door opened I could hear Aria's muffled cries, and Alison cruel laughter.

I saw Aria, lying on the floor, tied and helpless bleeding through the many patterns that Alison was carving into her skin.

"No!" I shrieked, tackling Alison before she could put another mark on my precious Aria.

I felt the thud as Alison's body hit the floor underneath me, followed by an agonizing grunt from Alison and a sharp piercing feeling in my shoulder.

I lifted myself off of Alison, feeling the metal knife slide out of my shoulder as I did so, but I didn't care. I had to get Aria to a hospital, her blood, covered the basement floor.

"Aria, baby," I sobbed as I removed the gag Alison had placed over her mouth. "Aria, _please_, stay with me." I picked her up gingerly, ignoring the searing pain in my shoulder as I did so.

"Spencer," I heard Aria say weakly.

"It's me, baby, It's okay, I'm here, I'm gonna get you to a hospital, and everything's going to be okay." I whispered to her, as I carried her up the stairs.

"I love you," Aria gasped.

"I love you, too, baby," I said.

Aria smiled as best she could, and then she faded into unconsciousness.

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**What do you think? Only a few chapters left! Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

I lay Aria quickly but gingerly in the backseat of my car, pulling out of the driveway at speeds even I had never done before, as I raced to the hospital. I hadn't bothered calling an ambulance, by the time they would have arrived I'd be at the hospital already.

I pulled into the roundabout at the Emergency Room entrance, not caring that I'd left the keys in the car when I jumped out. I threw open the back door, and carefully picked up Aria, once again ignoring the burning pain in my shoulder.

"Somebody help me," I cried out as soon as the automatic doors slid open for me.

"Spencer?" I heard a familiar voice ring out. I looked up to see Melissa, holding what looked to be a brown paper bag. I'd never been so glad to see my sister in my entire life, as I remembered that her fiancée was a doctor.

"Melissa, please," I begged her, "She needs a doctor."

I'd never seen Melissa look so worried before, at least not when it concerned me.

"Wren!" she said relieved as her fiancée came into view, "Wren, please can you help her?"

Wren looked at me, and then to my unconscious girlfriend.

Wren got her on a hospital bed, and she was rushed out of my reach.

"Spencer!" I heard Melissa scream as the world went dark.

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**What do you think? Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

I marveled at the strength of my girlfriend, who was once again sleeping soundly, safely, in my arms. Her scars from that day would forever be a reminder of how precious life is and how quickly it could be taken from us, of how easily your world could be turned upside down, and how lucky we were that she was still with us. Through everything that had happened, Aria had bounced back remarkably well, much better than I had. She had simply chosen to put the entire ordeal behind her, with, of course, the exception of when I brought it up, which was, unfortunately, far too often.

I looked at Aria tenderly, even with the myriads of scars covering her body from head to toe, she was still the most beautiful person, no, that wasn't even close to accurate, she was the most beautiful being, the most beautiful entity that I had ever had the absolute pleasure of laying eyes on. In a way, she radiated innocence and purity, qualities that, if you had the misfortune of catching us in the bedroom (though for us, it wasn't anything but love, passion and bliss), you would swear she'd never heard of, but were nonetheless still present, particularly when you were talking about her heart. She wasn't just the very best part of _me_, she was simply the best person I'd ever known, better than any person I could imagine.

"I can't believe I almost lost you," I whispered to her for what was probably the thousandth time.

Aria turned around in my arms to face me; she apparently hadn't been asleep as I'd thought.

"Hey," she said, poking me in the shoulder near where I had been stabbed, though not close enough to the actual wound to cause me any pain, "I'm not the only one who nearly died from extreme blood loss."

"Just the only one that matters," I said, though I knew in her opinion it wasn't true, but if she had died, my existence would mean nothing, and therefore my death would have been inconsequential.

Aria opened her mouth in an effort to protest, but I easily squelched her attempt, cutting her off with a kiss. I closed my eyes and melted into her soft lips, which had ceased trying to form words and succumbed to my ultimate intentions of a) not responding to my comment and b) kissing me back. Smirking to myself at my victory, I slid my tongue along her bottom lip.

"Spencer," she said, and in doing so, allowed my tongue to slip into her mouth.

"Spencer," I heard someone say. The voice was familiar, and to my disappointment, not Aria's.

At the realization that there was someone else in the room, my eyes snapped open, only to find that I was not in my bed kissing my girlfriend as I had thought, I was in the hospital.

I looked around the room filled with drab off-whites and décor such that no one should have to witness. I saw Melissa, looking at me, once again, with great concern in her eyes. My parents were there, too, with their rare worried parent faces on. There was also a doctor and a nurse in the room, neither of which I recognized.

"Spencer?" I heard the doctor ask.

I nodded, acknowledging the doctor's prompt, though I wasn't really thinking about the doctor or anybody in the room. The few seconds it had taken me to adjust to where I was, or more accurately, to comprehend where I was no longer, was all it took for me to understand that neither Aria nor I had left the hospital, that for all I knew, Aria could be dead by now.

My eyes darted around the room again for some sign that Aria was okay. Finding nothing that suggested that she was or wasn't alive, I looked at Melissa.

"Aria?" I asked as loud as my voice would carry, which, unfortunately, ended up being no more than a hoarse whisper.

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**What do you think? Please review! **

**A/N: I will be ending this fic after a few more chapters**

**A/N: As of September 16th all my current fics will be on hiatus, so that I can focus on writing my novel. For updates on my novel, or when I might resume my fics, follow me on twitter: CapeCodPhoenix I will be updating all my fics as much as possible between now and September 16th**


	10. Chapter 10

I stared at Melissa, who, so far, had said nothing. She opened her mouth to speak, but still, nothing was said. She closed her mouth again.

"Aria?" I asked again, my voice managing to get louder, but only just, and was still very hoarse.

"God, Spence," Melissa finally spoke, "You scared me so much, I thought you'd died!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. A part of me doubted that she really cared whether I lived or died, this being based off of having spent my entire life with her, but then the other part of me, the part that saw the way she had looked at me when I brought Aria into the hospital, was surged with guilt.

But none of that mattered right now. I didn't care whether or not Melissa cared if I lived or died, all that mattered was Aria.

"Aria?" I asked again. My voice was growing slightly stronger every time I spoke her name.

Melissa must have realized that until she told me how Aria was, I wouldn't talk about anything else.

I heard her sigh. That wasn't a good sign, right? Oh, no.

"Wren's with her," Melissa informed me, "She's still in surgery, she'd lost a lot of blood."

"And so did you," she added, almost as an afterthought, but the optimistic side of me hoped that she had said it out of concern for me, and hadn't just thrown it there to sound like a good sister.

Still, I didn't care that I'd lost a lot of blood, and I wouldn't care about anything else until I was sure Aria was okay, and though I hated to think about it, if she wasn't okay, I had to make sure she was still taken care of.

"H-her parents? Do they know?" I asked.

"I called them as soon as I got off the phone with Melissa," I heard my mother say.

I nodded. Letting my mind wander off. I flinched as memories of finding Aria passed through my head. The blood dripping from every part of her body, Alison hanging over her, etching new marks, new places for blood to continue to spill from her precious flesh. The look in her eyes right before they closed for what I feared might be the last time.

"Spencer! Spencer! Spencer!" I heard people shouting. Multiple people all shouting my name with anguish coloring their voices.

"Spencer!" I heard my mother say, finally getting my attention.

I looked at her, a tear rolling down my cheek. I had tried to stop it, the tear that is, I knew that crying was a sign of weakness, or at least as far as my family was concerned it was, and I hated to be seen as weak, we all did.

Still, I looked my mother directly in the eyes as the tears fell, and now there was no stopping them.

My mom sat down on the edge of the hospital bed, lying down next to me, wrapping her arms around me in a way she hadn't done since I was really, really young.

"She has to be okay, mom," I sobbed, "I _need_ her to be alright. I _need_ her."

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**What do you think? Please review!**

**A/N: As of September 16th all my current fics will be on hiatus, so that I can focus on writing my novel. For updates on my novel, or when I might resume my fics, follow me on twitter: CapeCodPhoenix I will be updating all my fics as much as possible between now and September 16th**


	11. Chapter 11

**I know I said I was going on hiatus, but apparently my brain doesn't agree with that decision, so I'm back!**

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I must have fallen asleep, or maybe they induced it, I'm not sure. I woke up, and looked around. I saw Melissa and Wren whispering by the door. At the sight of Wren, I wrenched up in the hospital bed.

Melissa and Wren both turned their attention my way.

"Easy, Spencer," Wren chuckled.

"Aria?" I asked, ignoring his comment.

Wren looked at Melissa, who nodded at him, before turning his attention back to me.

"Aria's out of surgery," Wren stated, "She'd lost a lot of blood, but she's stable now. We're just waiting for her to wake up."

I nodded, taking in what Wren had just told me. Aria was alive.

"I want to see her," I said, more of a demand than a statement.

"Mom and Dad are talking with Aria's parents and the doctors about putting both of you in the same room," Melissa told me.

"Thank you," I said to both Melissa and Wren. I don't think they knew just how much what each of them had done meant to me.

I could feel myself getting drowsy again, sure that they had something in the IV drip that was connected to me that was inducing sleep, making sure I rested, because after only a few minutes, I was struggling to keep my eyes open.

It wasn't long before I drifted off once more.

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**I know it's short, but what do you think? Please Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

I woke up feeling disoriented. I could feel my head pounding, but otherwise I felt fine. My eyes fluttered open, and after blinking a few times, I realized I didn't know where I was.

I looked straight ahead, where there had been a couple of chairs that had been occupied by my parents when I had first woken up, but instead I saw a strange poster plastered on the dull slightly yellowish-beige wall. Though when I had fallen asleep, I had been sure that the walls had been an off-white.

I turned my head to the left where Melissa had been sitting by the side of the bed, but she wasn't there. In fact, there was no chair there at all, and a door had taken the place of the two windows that had been there previously.

Through the small window in the door, I could see my mother talking to a doctor.

I turned my head to the right.

My heart started racing. Lying unconscious in a bed next to mine was Aria.

"Aria," I said hoarsely, coming out no louder than a whisper.

I started unhooking all the monitors that were attached to me, I was pleased when I noticed I was no longer hooked up to a drip, though the IV was still in my arm, it just wasn't attached to anything.

I heard all the monitors starting to freak as I unattached all the cables, but I had to be closer to her.

I sat down in the chair next to Aria's bed. I reached out cautiously, taking her limp hand in mine. I squeezed it gently, letting her know I was here, though I wasn't sure she could tell, in fact, I was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to.

"I'm here, baby," I whispered to her, "Come back to me."

A single tear fell down my cheek, as the door flung open, several panicked looking people rushing into the room.

"Spencer," Wren, who was among those who had rushed into the room, said in relief.

"You shouldn't have disconnected yourself from the monitors," he scolded me, "We thought something had happened to you."

My eyes met with his, then trailed to Melissa, then to my mother, my father, Mr. Montgomery, Mrs. Montgomery, Mike, and then to the other medical staff that had entered.

Finally, without saying a word, I returned my focus to Aria. I was fine now, or at least I would be as soon as Aria opened her eyes, as soon as my beautiful girlfriend came back to me everything would be okay.

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	13. Chapter 13

It had been several hours since I'd woken up and seen Aria's still unconscious body laying in the bed next to mine. I'd been sitting diligently and dutifully by her side ever since. After an hour or two the eerily silent visitors in the room (mainly our family members) had slowly trickled out of the room, trusting that I was okay and that I would watch over her, which of course, I would.

I heard a hesitant knock on the door and looked up to see Jason standing there awkwardly. I felt a small rush of guilt as I realized that Alison may or may not be dead because of my actions, though I'd do them again in a heartbeat. I wasn't going to apologize for protecting Aria, but then, I'd never meant any of this to happen.

"I'm sorry," we both said at the same time.

I grimaced, "What do you have to be sorry about?"

Jason looked down at his feet.

"All sorts of things," he said so low, I almost missed it.

His right legs swinging slightly, dragging his foot nervously in a small path on the floor, back and forth, back and forth, much like a pendulum.

"I never meant to hurt her," I said, "Ali, I mean, at least, not like that. I just wanted her to stop."

Jason nodded. He understood. He had seen it. He had seen what Ali had been doing. He had seen Aria, and could still see the scars Alison's work had left her with.

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked.

Jason shook his head. It looked like he was fighting back tears.

My eyes widened in fear. Did I accidentally kill Alison DiLaurentis?

"No," Jason said weakly, "I mean, she'll live, but I don't think she's going to be okay."

I didn't mean to sound relieved. I mean he'd just told me that she was _not_ okay. But then he'd also told me that she was going to live, that I hadn't inadvertently caused her death. But then again, we'd all thought she'd been dead for over a year now.

"Let me know when she wakes up?" Jason asked me.

I nodded, and he left the room.

I didn't understand. Why had Alison done this? Why had she disappeared for a year? Why would she want to hurt Aria?

Nobody but an unconscious Aria was around, so I put my head down on the edge of Aria's bed and let myself sob softly into her sheets. I couldn't stand to lose her, she was my everything, and if she died, then I wouldn't want to live either, but I wouldn't want to disappoint her either, and she'd want me to live, but I knew without her I'd never be truly happy. And she'd want me to live and be happy, she'd want me to move on and find somebody else, she'd want me to love again, but I could never love anyone as much as I love her.

I felt a hand on my head, fingers running through my hair. I lifted my head and found myself staring into a pair of beautiful hazel eyes. The eyes that I had feared I would never see again.

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**Only two or three more chapters left!**


	14. Chapter 14

I don't think I'd ever been so happy in my life as I was when I saw Aria with her eyes open at last. I threw my arms around her, as gently as I could given how I was feeling, and closed my eyes.

"Thank God," I whispered into her ear, "I thought I lost you."

I felt her arms slowly move to hug me back.

"You saved me," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"I thought I was too late," I admitted, "I was so scared, baby, I was lost without you."

I relaxed with the feel of every beat of her heart and every breath she took, knowing that I had her back.

"It was Ali," she said, shaking at the thought, or maybe the memory, I wasn't quite sure.

"I know," I said sourly, "I can't believe she would do this to you, I thought we were all friends."

The anger colored my voice a lot more than I had meant it to.

"She told me she was better than you, and that if she couldn't have me, no one could," Aria said.

So it was all petty jealousy for her? Did she think that excuses her from kidnapping, assault, and attempted murder? The Ali I remembered had been smart, she'd have known better.

Aria squeezed me tighter.

"Spence?" she said nervously, letting go of me.

I sat up, brushing a piece of hair that had fallen in her face away.

"Yes, love?" I asked.

"Is," Aria paused, looking away for a moment before continuing meekly, "Is she okay?"

I wanted to be mad at her for asking that, but I couldn't. She was so loving and forgiving and just good-hearted that it was only to be expected that she inquire about her captor's well being. She wouldn't have been Aria if she hadn't. And even if that hadn't been the case, how could I be mad at her for asking what I'd just asked Jason?

"Jason says that she's going to live," I told Aria, "But I don't think she'll ever be okay."

"Thank you," Aria said suddenly.

"For what?" I asked.

"For saving me," she said, blushing slightly.

"Of course," I said, taking her hand in mine, "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't made it, Ar, you're my whole world, and I never want to be without you."


	15. Chapter 15

It had been weeks since Aria had been discharged from the hospital and allowed to go home, which, though I'd been discharged myself about a week before she had been, was the first time I'd left the hospital as well.

We'd found out that Alison had been transferred to Radley Sanitarium as soon as she'd been eligible for discharge.

I hadn't let Aria out of my sight since she'd woken up, with the exception of when I was sleeping, but then, I couldn't sleep without her in my arms, so I still knew she was safe. I was slightly surprised that both my parents and Aria's had been so calm about my insistence of being with Aria at all times, but then, after all I'd done to get her back, I suppose it shouldn't have been that surprising.

Actually, it was Aria who had the hardest time with me being around every second.

"_Spencer, seriously?" Aria said, annoyed, "It's been weeks, you don't need to watch me every time I take a leak."_

_I looked up at her, and I was sure she could see the pain her simple words had caused me. It wasn't like I wanted to be like this, I just didn't know how else to be without falling apart._

_Her eyes softened as she looked at me._

"_I'm sorry, Spence," she said softly, "God, I love you so much, baby, but this is too much. I get it, you're afraid of something happening to me again, but you need to back off a little bit."_

"_Please," she added as an afterthought._

_I bit my lip, holding back tears. I was supposed to be the strong one, I wasn't supposed to be on the verge of a breakdown, but here I was, about to crumble._

"_You don't know," I said. My voice was strained, no louder than whisper. I swear, even I could hear the fear, the desperation, the sadness in it. _

_I paused._

"_I used to walk you home every time, remember?" I asked, "No matter what, it didn't matter where we were, or what time it was, I would walk you home, just to make sure you got home safely."_

_Aria nodded._

"_I should've walked you home that morning, I should have made sure that you were safe, like I used to."_

_I felt the tears starting to fall._

"_But I didn't. I let you walk home alone."_

_I paused again, wiping away a few tears._

"_You don't know what it felt like, getting the phone call saying you never made it home," I whispered._

"_Spence," Aria said softly, "Baby, it's not your fault."_

_Sure, it wasn't _all_ my fault. It was partly Alison's fault of course, but I'd stopped protecting her, and that was my fault._

"_You don't know what it was like sitting in a jail cell being framed for Alison's murder, and then finding out that it was actually Alison who had taken you, that it was Alison's twin sister I didn't even know existed that had been murdered by none other than Alison herself. I put it together when they told me it was Courtney's body not Ali's. God, Aria, I was terrified! If she could do that to her own sister, what would she do to you? And what if I couldn't get there in time? She was supposed to be our friend!"_

_Aria took me in her arms, holding me._

"_I'm sorry," she said to me, "I didn't know."_

_I held onto her for dear life, because after all, she was my life. _

"_I'll try," I sobbed into her chest, "because I love you, I'll try to give you some more space, but it's hard, because I love you, and I'm still absolutely terrified."_

_It wasn't often I admitted to being scared. But I would never not be scared of losing Aria. Never._

And tried I had. I was getting better. She could now use the bathroom without me freaking out. But today would be a huge test. I had talked to her parents and Mike. I had to have their guarantee that they would all be there in my absence. I had to know she was safe. I hadn't told Aria I would be leaving her with her family for a couple hours, just to give her the space she desired, it was a surprise.

I looked at the clock. It was approaching noon.

"Aria, baby, time to get up," I said, kissing the back of her shoulder lightly.

Aria groaned, not wanting to wake up yet.

"I'm leaving in an hour," I said.

That got her attention. Her eyes flew open and she bolted into a sitting position.

"You're _leaving_?" she said in disbelief.

"Just for two hours, three tops," I said, "I'm working on that whole space thing you were talking about."

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**Alright guys, just one more chapter before the story's over. I might do a Future sequel, what do you think?**


	16. Chapter 16

After exactly two hours, thirty-seven minutes and twenty-two seconds, I walked back into the Montgomery house. My stomach was all knotted, and I'd had a headache for the past two and a half hours. I hated being apart from Aria, especially in light of what had happened, though I knew she would be safe with her family.

"Aria?" I called from the entryway.

Moments later, Aria came bounding into sight from the other room and practically leapt into my arms. I smiled as my arms wrapped around her. I was complete again.

"Did you have fun with your family?" I asked.

Aria looked up at me and nodded. "Thank you," she said, "I know that must have been hard for you."

I kissed her forehead, and then looked into her beautiful eyes.

"Anything for you," I said earnestly.

"Let's go upstairs," Aria said seductively.

"You don't need to tell me twice," I said, letting her lead me up to her bedroom.

I sat down on her window seat. I looked outside, watching a leaf blow in the wind. "This is where we had our first kiss," I said, turning my head to look at Aria, who had sat down beside me. "Do you remember?"

_I walked into Aria's room. Her lights were off, only the moonlight shone through the window. She was sitting in the window seat, her back against the wall, knees pulled up to her chest, staring vacantly into the night._

"_Ar?" I said, the worry in my voice apparent._

_Aria turned her head towards the sound of my voice. Her eyes still looked empty, but beautiful, in the moonlight. _

"_Do you think we'll ever find her?" Aria asked me._

_It was obvious who she was talking about. Alison. She'd been missing for almost six months now, and as much as I wanted to be able to tell my worried friend in front of me that 'Yeah, of course we'd find her' I couldn't. We both knew after all this time that the chances of finding her were slim, and the chances of finding her alive we even slimmer. I had to admire her, though, for not giving up hope._

_I sat down beside her, pushing her closer to the window, though I was only able to fit half of me on the seat. I wrapped my arms around her and whispered, "I don't know."_

_We just sat there for what was probably an hour or so, staring out into the night, looking at everything and nothing at the same time, letting our minds wander, mostly to places we'd wish our minds would never find._

"_Spence?" she said quietly, breaking the silence that had enveloped us._

_I turned my head to look at her, she was looking at me intensely. Her eyes still showed the pain of Alison's disappearance, but now there was a spark in them. I couldn't resist as I leaned forward slightly and took her lips in mine._

_It was like heaven when I felt her lips respond to mine. I knew then, it was all I ever needed._

"Of course I remember," Aria said, "You don't just forget something like that."

I smiled nervously at her.

"That was the beginning of us," I said, "Or at least of us as a couple."

Aria nodded. She seemed cautious, unsure of where I was taking this conversation.

"When I was holding you that day, not the day of our first kiss, but _that_ day, I was trying to save you, I was carrying you out of her house, and you lost consciousness in my arms, I thought it was the end, I thought I'd lost you."

"Spence," Aria said, "you don't have to…."

"I never want to lose you," I continued, cutting Aria off, "Not ever. I hate being apart from you, I always have, though recent events have understandably made me a lot more reluctant to be apart from you even for short periods of time, it's not just that. You make me feel so complete, like when we're together, nothing can go wrong, nothing can touch us. And I just, I love you so much."

I slid off the window seat and perched myself on one knee. I took the small blue box out of the pocket in my blazer. I popped open the little blue box to reveal a beautiful diamond engagement ring that I had picked out and purchased not two hours ago.

Aria's hands flew to her mouth, but not into to cover her dropped jaw. She obviously hadn't been expecting me to propose. I know we're really young, but that didn't matter. I had found the love of my life, and I wasn't willing to let go.

"I know we're a little young," I said, "But I also know I will never love anyone the way I love you, and without you my life is bland, without you, my life is meaningless. And I promise to spend the rest of my life loving you, and trying to make each new day the best of your life. Aria Montgomery, will you make me the happiest girl alive and do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"

Aria nodded furiously.

"Yes," she said, "Yes, yes, oh my god, yes."

I slipped the ring on her finger, and within seconds our lips were engaged in a passionate embrace. I grinned hugely into the kiss. I had won the girl of my dreams, I had the love of my life, and soon, well, maybe not _that_ soon (stupid laws), she would become my wife.

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